The ISU men’s basketball team has had a hard time pulling away from teams this season, and that came back to haunt it once again Saturday against Baylor at Hilton Coliseum. 

The Cyclones led by as much as double-digits, but couldn’t hold on, as the Bears took a 94-89 victory. 

It would be hard to find a better start for the Cyclones this season. Iowa State (12-3, 1-2 Big 12) jumped to an early 12-2 lead, helped by a 10-0 run. It looked as if the Cyclones were going to take control of the game. 

But they just couldn’t pull away. 

Baylor (11-3, 2-1 Big 12) stuck within single-digits and dominated on the glass, racking up seven of its 23 first-half rebounds on offense. 

Iowa State struggled to get too much of a lead, failing to hit the 3-pointer consistently. It finished the half 5-of-15 from beyond the arc, but that was boosted by two 3-balls from Matt Thomas and Georges Niang late in the first half.

The Cyclones finished the half with a 38-34 lead, but it seemed like they could’ve racked up a much larger one. 

Iowa State came out firing in the second half. The lead that it seemed like the Cyclones’ deserved, started to come into view, as they jumped to a 12-point lead just five minutes into the half. 

Niang started to get hot, making the first five second-half points for the Cyclones. But, just like the first half, the Bears wouldn’t go away. 

Baylor trailed by 11 with around 12 minutes left in the game, but nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to spark an 11-0 run and tie the game at 58 with just less then 12 minutes remaining.

Baylor and Iowa State traded baskets and the lead for the next eight minutes until the Bears started to emerge with the lead. A 9-0 run late in the game gave Baylor a 80-73 leads with 3:14 left to play.

Monte Morris tried to bring Iowa State back, scoring eight straight points with under a minute to go, but the Bears wouldn’t relinquish the lead. They handed the Cyclones their third loss of the season and their second in Big 12 play.